British Greens responding to the intersection of anti-Zionism and antisemitism

Pippa Bartolotti doesn’t have antisemitism in the family

A few weeks ago Martin Bright ran a Jewish Chronicle piece on Green Party England and Wales leadership candidate Pippa Bartolotti, somebody who makes the obvious and boorish kind of antisemitic statements which can’t be ignored.

Adam Ramsay’s response at Bright Green Scotland reminded me that most people who say they find antisemitism unbelievable are reacting to other people who don’t toe their line on hating Israel. He’s an exception and it’s important to recognise that.

You can read PB’s defence in the comments under Adam’s post. She refers to her Jewish grandfather as if not being antisemitic were in the genes. If Jews were as harshly oppressed by Palestinians, she says she’d be working as hard for their human rights – I imagine her invoking the “university of life” lie about Arabs being treacherous by nature. That would be the equivalent to what she has said about Israel’s Jewish ambassador. I wonder how her conversation with the Foreign Office unfolded – has Rowan Laxton been reinstated? They’d have so much to talk about.

I’m afraid as we’ve seen green party policy in practice allows an open-minded view on antisemitism, and the members who are (alternatively or in combination) antisemitic, Israel-hating, or so self-regarding that even raising the possibility of prejudice brings on a frenzy of indignation – these members have managed to kick out the working definitions proposed to date. However, they don’t or shouldn’t characterise the Green Party, and other members like Peter Cranie are persistently attempting to provide better defences against antisemitism.